The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has sounded the alarm over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, with its top official in the region describing the depth of Palestinian suffering under two years of relentless Zionist aggression and blockade as “beyond words.”

Sarah Avrillaud, head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Gaza, said in a statement that the people of Gaza have endured death, displacement, and the denial of dignity on a scale the world has rarely witnessed.

“We have seen humanity hollowed out in Gaza,” Avrillaud declared, capturing the despair that has gripped the besieged enclave as civilians continue to face bombing, starvation, and destruction.

According to Avrillaud, thousands of Palestinians remain missing or separated from their families, while survivors live under constant fear, exhaustion, and hopelessness. “The toll of the past two years is visible on the exhausted faces of people trying to make it hour by hour,” she said.

The statement painted a grim picture of life in Gaza, where basic human needs have become a luxury under the continued Zionist blockade and military assault. “Many people do not have regular or safe access to water, hygiene facilities, or medical services. The toll two years of struggling to survive has taken on people is beyond words,” Avrillaud added.

Describing her encounters with displaced Palestinians, Avrillaud spoke of terrified mothers who cannot feed or protect their children, patients too weak to recover amid constant displacement, and entire families emerging from the rubble of their destroyed homes, covered in dust but clinging to life.

“I have met terrified mothers who do not know how to feed their children or to keep them safe. I’ve seen patients struggling to recover when they cannot rest because of constant displacement. I have watched entire families emerging from dust-covered, destroyed buildings, shocked but alive,” she said.

Avrillaud stressed that while the ICRC and its partners, including the Palestine Red Crescent Society, continue to work tirelessly to provide aid, the scale of devastation has far exceeded what humanitarian organizations alone can manage. “As the situation deteriorates, challenges only increase. Humanitarian organizations alone cannot meet the ever-increasing needs of civilians,” she warned.

Calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the Red Cross official urged for the rapid and unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid across the entire Gaza Strip, warning that every delay costs innocent lives.

“All feasible precautions must be taken to spare the civilian population, who have already endured far too much in the last two years,” she said. “Lives can be saved, but civilians can’t afford to wait. They need political action now.”

Avrillaud’s words echo the growing global outrage over the Zionist regime’s continued siege and bombing campaign, which has left much of Gaza in ruins. With hospitals in collapse, families buried under rubble, and starvation spreading, her call serves as a stark reminder that the people of Gaza — abandoned by much of the world — are still waiting for justice, dignity, and peace. (ILKHA)